In your face at 60kmh: Older pickleball players more prone to eye injuries

Eye injuries are more likely resulting from falls or direct hit by the ball, and that such injuries occur more frequently among older than younger players.

ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI

Published Nov 01, 2026, 12:00 PM

Updated Nov 01, 2026, 12:00 PM

Pickleball eye injuries are rising among older players in Singapore and overseas. Doctors say direct ball hits can cause serious harm, including retinal breaks and lens dislocation.

Singapore hospitals have seen only a few cases since 2023, but experts warn the sport is fast and close-range. Older players may face higher risk because reflexes slow with age.

Doctors advise protective eyewear and urgent eye checks after injury. Pickleball still has health benefits, but players should treat eye safety as a key concern.

SINGAPORE – As the popularity of pickleball surges in Singapore , a number of its players, particularly the older ones, could leave the court for the emergency room.

Doctors at Khoo Teck Puat Hospital have seen patients with eye injuries “sustained while playing pickleball, particularly following direct impact of the ball to the eye”, said Yeo Tun Hang, who heads Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences in the NHG Eye Institute at the hospital.

“A patient sustained a direct impact from a pickleball and developed retinal breaks, requiring laser (treatment) to reduce the risk of retinal detachment.

“Another pickleball injury resulted in dislocation of a previously implanted intraocular lens, requiring surgery to refix the lens,” Yeo told The Straits Times.

The Singapore National Eye Centre (SNEC) has attended to a case of pickleball-related corneal abrasion.

Another pickleball player went to the National University Hospital (NUH) and was diagnosed with two conditions caused by trauma from the game: iritis, an inflammation of the iris and the surrounding front chamber tissues; and microhyphema, a mild form of eye bleeding where blood entered the clear fluid-filled space between the cornea and the iris.

Singapore hospitals do not have registries specifically related to the game, so such injuries cannot be reliably quantified to determine whether there has been an increase of these in recent years , Yeo said.

But pickleball statistics are available in the US, where there is an estimated 20 million players.

Using a nationally representative sample of pickleball-related eye injuries reported by emergency departments in the US, researchers estimated that these injuries have increased by about 400 incidents a year – from less than 200 in 2021 to 1,262 in 2024.

Almost half (43%) of these injuries frequently arose from direct impact by the ball, and players over 50 years old showed a 39% higher risk of sustaining such injuries, compared with younger players, the researchers found .

The study was published by peer-reviewed journal JAMA Ophthalmology online in October 2025.

Pickleball involves fast exchanges between players at relatively close range, and a ball striking the eye directly can transmit significant blunt force.

While most people play without sustaining an eye injury, a direct strike can occasionally result in serious and potentially sight threatening injury.

Experts said that lightweight paddles can send the plastic balls flying at speeds of up to 60kmh.

But it is not just about the speed of the ball, said John Komar, assistant dean of research support from the Office for Research at the National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University (NIE-NTU).

It is about reaction and movement.

“Players in pickleball are very often very close to the opponents, compared with tennis where you (hardly) see both opponents at the net. Although the ball is slower in pickleball, players have simply no time to avoid it as reaction time is an incompressible time whatever sport you are playing,” Komar said.

Ophthalmologist Marcus Ang, who heads the corneal and external eye disease and refractive surgery departments at SNEC, said senior pickleball players need to be aware of ocular injuries in any sport, especially in racket games, and should wear protective eyewear when necessary.

“In the event of (an eye) injury, they should seek emergency consultation immediately at an emergency department with eye specialist care. Some injuries such as microscopic hyphema, may be mildly symptomatic at first, but if ignored, may lead to some complications,” he said.

Given that it is played on a smaller sized court, the travel distance for the ball is less and travel time is shorter, raising the risk ball contacting the player’s body. ST PHOTO: KUA CHEE SIONG

Given that it is played on a smaller sized court, the travel distance for the ball is less and travel time is shorter, raising the risk ball contacting the player’s body.

ST PHOTO: KUA CHEE SIONG

Pickleball is a relatively new popular sport with a unique player profile, said Swarup Mukherjee, deputy head of the physical education and sports science department at the National Institute of Education.

“The majority of players are in their fifth or sixth decade of life – an age when the body’s reflexes and reactions naturally slow down. Given that it is played on a smaller sized court, compared with tennis, the travel distance for the ball is less and travel time is shorter. This might raise the risk of ball contacting the player’s body,” he said.

But he added: “The number of injuries is rising not because the risk element is increasing, but because there is a greater number of players playing pickleball.

“The question is therefore not how many injuries are documented, but what is the incidence of injuries per player and in a given time of exposure to sport.”

Regardless, pickleball provides great exercise and health benefits, Swarup said.

“It is a sport that is played on a smaller area and hence is not very demanding on the heart and lungs. It being an intermittent nature sport stimulates reaction time, quick reflexes, better posture, balance and control. These outcomes can be of immense benefit especially to those in 50s and 60s,” he said.

Judith Tan is health correspondent at The Straits Times.

National University Hospital

眼部受伤更可能是由于跌倒或被球直接击中造成的，而且这种受伤在年龄较大的球员中比在年龄较小的球员中更为常见。

ST 照片：林耀辉

发布于2026年11月1日下午12:00

更新于2026年11月1日中午12:00

在新加坡和海外，老年匹克球运动员的眼部受伤病例正在增加。医生表示，球直接击中眼睛可能造成严重伤害，包括视网膜破裂和晶状体脱位。

自2023年以来，新加坡医院仅接诊过少数病例，但专家警告称，这项运动节奏快、对抗近。年龄较大的运动员可能面临更高的风险，因为反应速度会随着年龄增长而减慢。

医生建议受伤后佩戴护目镜并立即进行眼部检查。匹克球运动仍然有益于健康，但球员应将眼部安全视为重中之重。

新加坡——随着匹克球运动在新加坡越来越受欢迎，许多匹克球运动员，尤其是年纪较大的运动员，可能会因为受伤而离开球场，前往急诊室。

邱德拔医院的医生们发现，一些患者在打匹克球时眼睛受伤，“特别是球直接击中眼睛后造成的伤情”，该院NHG眼科研究所眼科和视觉科学主任杨敦恒说。

“一名患者被匹克球直接击中，导致视网膜破裂，需要进行激光治疗以降低视网膜脱离的风险。

“另一次匹克球受伤导致之前植入的人工晶状体脱位，需要手术重新固定晶状体，”叶告诉《海峡时报》。

新加坡国家眼科中心 (SNEC) 接诊了一例因匹克球运动引起的角膜擦伤病例。

另一名匹克球运动员前往国立大学医院 (NUH) 就诊，被诊断出患有两种由比赛创伤引起的疾病：虹膜炎，即虹膜和周围前房组织的炎症；以及微量前房出血，一种轻微的眼出血，血液进入角膜和虹膜之间充满透明液体的空间。

杨先生表示，新加坡的医院没有专门针对这项运动的登记系统，因此无法可靠地量化此类伤病，以确定近年来此类伤病是否有所增加。

但美国有匹克球统计数据，据估计有 2000 万匹克球爱好者。

研究人员利用美国急诊科报告的与匹克球相关的眼部损伤的全国代表性样本，估计这些损伤每年增加了约 400 起——从 2021 年的不到 200 起增加到 2024 年的 1262 起。

研究人员发现，近一半（43%）的此类伤病通常是由球的直接撞击引起的，50 岁以上的球员遭受此类伤病的风险比年轻球员高 39%。

该研究于 2025 年 10 月发表在同行评审期刊《JAMA 眼科》在线版上。

匹克球运动中，球员之间在相对较近的距离内进行快速的攻防转换，球直接击中眼睛可能会产生很大的钝力。

虽然大多数人在玩耍时不会受到眼部伤害，但直接撞击有时会导致严重的、甚至可能危及视力的伤害。

专家表示，轻型球拍可以将塑料球以高达 60 公里/小时的速度击飞。

但南洋理工大学国立教育学院（NIE-NTU）研究办公室研究支持助理院长约翰·科马尔表示，这不仅仅关乎球的速度。

它关乎反应和行动。

科马尔说：“与网球不同，匹克球比赛中球员与对手的距离通常非常近，网球比赛中你（几乎）看不到网前的双方球员。虽然匹克球的速度较慢，但​​球员根本没有时间躲避，因为无论你从事什么运动，反应时间都是不可压缩的。”

SNEC 的角膜和外眼疾病及屈光手术部门负责人、眼科医生 Marcus Ang 表示，资深匹克球运动员需要意识到任何运动中的眼部损伤，尤其是在球拍类运动中，必要时应佩戴护目镜。

“如果眼睛受伤，他们应该立即前往有眼科专科医生的急诊科进行紧急就诊。有些损伤，例如微小的前房积血，起初可能症状轻微，但如果忽视，可能会导致一些并发症，”他说。

由于场地较小，球的飞行距离和飞行时间都较短，因此球击中球员身体的风险也随之增加。（海峡时报照片：柯志雄）

由于比赛场地较小，球的飞行距离较短，飞行时间也较短，因此球击中球员身体的风险较高。

《海峡时报》摄影：郭志雄

国家教育学院体育教育和运动科学系副主任斯瓦鲁普·穆克吉表示，匹克球是一项相对较新的流行运动，具有独特的球员特征。

“大多数球员都已年过五旬或六十——这个年龄段，身体的反应速度和反射能力自然会减慢。而且，与网球相比，这项运动的场地较小，球的飞行距离更短，飞行时间也更短。这可能会增加球击中球员身体的风险，”他说道。

但他补充道：“受伤人数上升并不是因为风险因素增加，而是因为打匹克球的人数更多了。”

“因此，问题不在于记录了多少伤病，而在于每位运动员在特定运动时间内受伤的发生率是多少。”

斯瓦鲁普说，无论如何，匹克球都能带来很好的锻炼和健康益处。

“这项运动场地较小，因此对心肺功能的要求不高。由于其间歇性的特点，它能锻炼反应速度、敏捷的反射能力、良好的姿势、平衡能力和控制力。这些益处对五六十岁的人尤其大有裨益，”他说道。

Judith Tan是《海峡时报》的健康记者。

国立大学医院